This invention relates to an improved suspension package for protecting a product against shipping damage.
Luray U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,459 and Boecker U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,542 disclose suspension packages utilizing a hammock that is stretched across the ends of a frame to suspend a product away from the frame during shipment. In these packages the hammock is tensioned by means of tensor flaps that are pivotably mounted to the end walls.
The suspension package shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,542 has been successful in protecting lightweight products from shipping damage. One particular feature of this design is that the frame can be collapsed to a relatively small volume when not in use. This is an important advantage as compared with other packaging materials such as foam, which maintain the same cubic dimensions whether loaded or stored.
Heavier products, as for example products in the range of 5 to 15 pounds, impose greater stress on the frame. In particular, a relatively heavy product undergoing a large acceleration in a direction parallel to the hammock imposes large buckling forces on the end walls of the frame. In the event the end walls buckle or crease, the hammock loses tension and the product can easily be damaged by contact with one of the walls of the frame. Also, heavier products tend to slide in the hammock, even when it is properly tensioned. Finally, the bottom braces, designed to reinforce the end walls, may be considered too complicated by some users, in that they require some degree of assembly when the frame is moved from the collapsed to the operational position.
The present invention is directed to an improved suspension package that to a great extent overcomes the disadvantages discussed above.